Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-05-12
A CONFEDERATE CAPTIVE'S AD-
VENTURE IN PRISON.
Five Thousand Prisoners Trying 90
Keep Warm-Digging n Tunnel To
Escape-Why the Plan Failed.

near Chicago, the 3rd day of January,
1868, says "Ex-Rebel" In the Detroit
Free Press, and may be pardoned for
the remark that il was n cold day for
me in more senses than one. Two
weeks previous to my debut in Chicago
society was in Arkansas, uniformed
in the hap-hpzard fashion Of the Con-
federates of that period, and when |
came To be railroaded up North and
found the thermometer down to nine
degrees below zero, l could hardly hold
my teeth in my head. There were
about 5000 prisoners in the stockade,
which was simply board fence twelve
feet high, and they were provided with
rough shanties and stoves. A North
ern man would have kept comfortably
warm in the quarters, but IL was hard
work FOR the prisoners To keep fingers
and toes away from Jack Frost. In
deed, there We're many cases of actual
suffering, though the Federal Govern
ment made the best arrangements pos
sible. The trouble was ut the camp
instead of at Washington. After u
certain hour of the evening all lights
must be out and everybody in bed, and
when the stoves grow cold the frost and
wind drove into the shanties at hun
dred points.
There were only six of us in the shan
ty to which was assigned, while some
held eight, ten and twelve. We were
within seven feet of the fence, and rs
we were all men from one regiment and
all captured at the same time, we felt
that we could trust each other. The
idea OF an escape was broached in Feb
ruary, but it was the 18th Of April
when the first real move was made.
The only show was TO tunnel under the
fence and come out by night. There
was a guard stationed on elevated plat
forms about the enclosure by day, and
at night a chain of seEtinels walked
regular beats outside the fence. We
thirty feet long, and it was begun by
taking up some Of the flooring in the
back end of our shanty. Visits Of in
spection were held twice pei week, but
there was not day in which some Off
cial was not liable 20 come poking IL
round.
The floor of our shanty rested on
sleepers clear of the ground. We could
therefore stow away great deal of the
dirt under the floor. We worked only
at night, and that in reliefs Of two. We
first went down four feet, and then
started off on straight line for the
fence beyond. We were almost at the
fence before we had to carry any of the
dirt out doors. We managed To scatter
a quantity around our house without
exciting suspicion, and the rest had to
be accumulated during the night and
carried out in our pockets. II was slow
work when we reached that point, and
on two or three different occasions We
came very near being exposed by olli-
cials dropping in on us. There were
several rainy days about the time we
were under the fence, and for week
our tunnel was full Of water. When
that soaked away we went to work
again, and on the morning of the lith
of May the last man to crawlish out of
the hole reported that our tunnel was
we'll beyond the sentinel's beat and
ready for the breaking of the crust.
II we had had the making of the
weather, we could not have planned for
a better night. 1t was dark and misty,
with every chance in our favor. During
the afternoon we drew lots to see who
should go first, and it fell to me. We
had nothing to pack up, and the whole
six of us had only eighty cents in mon
ey between US. 1t was planned that
we sho I'D separate as soon as clear of
the hole and each was to take care of
himself as best he could. That was
long afternoon, can tell you, aud even
when it wore away and night came we
had to wait many hours yet. Some
were for going at IL and others at o.
clock, but we finally moved at ll:l5.
We fastened the door of the shanty and
crept into the tunnel one after the 9TH
er, and | was soon at the far end Of it
and digging upward. l was hard at
this work when felt the ground break
through behind me. someone uttered
yell, and then came the cry:
Corporal of the Guard-Post No.
13 7"
This was repeated several times, and
pretty soon the corporal and a couple
Of guards from the relief arrived. The
sentinel on the beat, who was big,
heavy man had broken through into our
tunnel, and in the fall had broken his
leg. While was held prisoner in the
hole, the others crawled back, knowing
that the jig was up. 1t did not take
the corporal many minutes to discover
the true state of affairs, and then l was
hauled out by the neck and made the
butt of ridicule. When escorted back
to the shanty, the five men were found
fast asleep" but were turned out and
sent 20 the guard-house 10 keep me COM
pany. We we're reduced to half rations
for thirty days. but no further punish
ment was meted out to us.
"WHAT's the difference between a
piano and gun, Charley ?" asked a